Blackhawks' First Round Picks & Bedard's Calder Trophy
Also, a look at the Mikheyev/Lafferty trade, and more!
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2024 NHL Draft Guide
Consider The Hockey Writers as your go-to source for everything related to the NHL draft and this page your live home page for information on the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
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Chicago Blackhawks Draft Artyom Levshunov 2nd Overall
June 28, 2024 by Jordan Orth
Every year, there is a debate about who is the top player at their position. Artyom Levshunov played his way into that discussion at the defenseman position with his strong play as a freshman at Michigan State University this season. After heading to East Lansing from the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Green Bay Gamblers, he showed off the strong offensive game that he possesses. He may not light the world on fire as a true “defensive defenseman” quite yet, but he has the size and frame to become a force on the backend of the ice as well. He also showed promise by season’s end of becoming a full two-way defenseman.
Chicago Blackhawks Draft Sacha Boisvert 18th Overall
June 28, 2024 by Jordan Orth
In his second season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, Sacha Boisvert took his offensive game to another level. He not only tallied 30-plus goals (38) but also topped the 30-assist mark as well (32). Throughout the season, he was able to build his draft stock and rose to become one of the top center options of this draft class with his strong play. He became a true force on the power play as well, scoring 14 of his 38 goals on the man advantage and adding 11 assists on the power play thanks to his strong playmaking and vision on the ice.
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Chicago Blackhawks Draft Marek Vanacker 27th Overall
June 28, 2024 by Jordan Orth
Marek Vanacker is another player in this draft class who saw his game go to another level in his second season of junior hockey. Offensively, his production jumped from a total of 16 points last season to 82 this season. He showed off a strong all-around offensive game, highlighted by some strong playmaking with 46 assists. His goal-scoring also saw a massive boost in production, as he tallied 36 goals for the Bulldogs. His play on the man advantage had a big impact in Brantford’s success this season as well, putting up 18 power play assists to go along with four goals. He did earn a spot on the Canadian U18 World Junior team but did not necessarily factor in a ton for the Canadians.
Connor Bedard Caps off Whirlwind Season With Calder Trophy Win
June 27, 2024 by Gail Kauchak
The National Hockey League held their annual NHL Awards Show on Thursday (June 27) in Las Vegas, the day before the 2024 NHL Draft (June 28 and June 29). To absolutely no one’s surprise, the Chicago Blackhawks 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick Connor Bedard was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy, given once a year “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the NHL.” Bedard was selected over defensemen Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, both of whom were also finalists for this award. Let’s look at why Bedard is such a worthy recipient for this award.
Blackhawks Acquire Mikheyev & Lafferty From the Canucks
June 27, 2024 by Jim Bay
The Chicago Blackhawks announced that the team had acquired forwards Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty and a 2027 second-round pick from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Vancouver will retain 15% of Mikheyev’s salary for the remaining term of the contract.